Hotel Online Special Report
---
Hilton Hotels Corp. Announces Promotion of Sales and Marketing Executives
Nearly 75 Years of Combined Hilton Experience/Service Will Lead 
the Hotel Division's New Sales and Marketing Team
 
 
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif - Aug. 10, 1998--Hilton Hotels Corp. Monday announced the promotion of four key Hilton executives in the company's hotel division, as part of a reorganization to further strengthen one of the premier sales and marketing teams in the hospitality industry.

Ed Dolliver, Larry Luteran and Joe Messina have been appointed to the newly-created positions of regional vice president-sales & marketing for hotel division's northeast, southeast, and central regions, respectively. In addition, David Scypinski has been appointed to vice president-industry relations for the hotel division.

Each of these executives will report to G. Steven Armitage, Hilton's new vice president & managing director-sales. Armitage oversees all sales operations domestically and internationally for Hilton's hotel division, including Conrad International Hotels overseas.

This alignment of Hilton's hotel and national sales operations for the hotel division is being implemented with a geographic/regional emphasis. The consolidation will enhance the company's focus on maximizing overall operational effectiveness of sales activities for more than 270 U.S. Hilton properties and 11 regional sales offices nationwide.

"By streamlining our organizational structure and complementing it with one of the most seasoned, experienced hospitality sales teams, Hilton Sales Worldwide will continue to raise the standard of excellence in this dynamic industry," said Armitage. "I have worked with each of these gentlemen over the last two decades and can truly credit them with some of Hilton's most memorable success stories."

"I am proud of the contributions these four professionals have made to Hilton over the years and am confident that this team will continue to be one of our company's most valuable resources," said Robert E. Dirks, senior vice president-marketing for the
hotel division of Hilton Hotels.

These four executives bring nearly 75 years of combined sales and marketing experience to the Hilton Sales Worldwide team. Each of their new positions and related responsibilities are listed below:
 

Ed Dolliver, Regional Vice President-Sales & Marketing, Eastern Region

Between 1976 and 1984, Dolliver's Hilton career included various sales and marketing positions at Hilton Atlanta & Towers and a promotion to director of marketing of The Waldorf=Astoria in New York. He continued in that role until 1987, when he was named director of sales for the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

Since 1989, Dolliver has represented Hilton Hotels' hotel division as director of marketing-eastern region, regional director of marketing for the western region and regional director of marketing - eastern region. He earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Cornell University in 1973.

Dolliver will continue to be responsible for overseeing sales and marketing efforts for owned and managed hotels and sales office activities for Hilton constituents in the Eastern region. His office will continue to be located in New York at The Waldorf=Astoria.

Larry Luteran, Regional Vice President-Sales & Marketing, Southeast Region 

Luteran began his 15-year tenure with Hilton in the food & beverage department at the Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD(R) Resort and held various sales and marketing positions at the hotel from 1983 to 1988. He was promoted to the assistant director of sales position at the Hilton Atlanta & Towers and then moved to the Hilton New Orleans Riverside, where he served as director of sales from 1988 to 1993.

Luteran returned to the Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD(R) Resort in 1993 as the hotel's director of marketing, and was given the additional responsibility of area director of sales & marketing- Southeast in 1997. Luteran earned a bachelor's degree in public relations / communications and English from the University of Detroit in 1983.

Luteran will continue to be responsible for overseeing sales and marketing efforts for owned and managed hotels and sales office activities for Hilton constituents in the Southeast region. His office will continue to be located in Orlando, Fla., at the Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD(R) Village.

Joe Messina, Regional Vice President-Sales & Marketing, Central Region

With more than 17 years of experience in the hospitality industry, Messina began his Hilton sales career in 1981 at the Palmer House Hilton. He was promoted at the Hilton Chicago & Towers to the positions of convention sales coordinator in 1982, sales manager in 1984 and assistant director of sales in 1986, before being named director of sales at the Hilton in the WALT DISNEY WORLD(R) Resort in 1988.

He returned to the Palmer House Hilton in 1992 as the hotel's director of sales & marketing and began a pattern of success that has resulted in the 127-year-old hotel achieving its best sales figures ever. In 1997, he assumed the additional role of area director-sales & marketing for the Midwest region. Messina earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Southern Illinois University in 1981.

Messina will continue to be responsible for overseeing sales and marketing efforts for owned and managed hotels and sales office activities for Hilton customers in the Central region. His office will continue to be located in Chicago at the Palmer House Hilton.

David Scypinski, Vice President-Industry Relations

A 21-year Hilton veteran, Scypinski has held numerous sales and marketing positions at the property, national sales and corporate level. He began his career with the company in 1977 and held various managerial sales positions at Hilton hotels in Erie and Pittsburgh, Pa., and Denver, until his promotion to director of sales for the Denver Hilton in 1981.

In 1982, Scypinski was named director of sales at the San Francisco Hilton and subsequently in 1983 was promoted to director of sales & marketing for the hotel. Since March 1986, Scypinski has been based in Washington, D.C., where he has assumed roles as director of sales-national accounts then managing director of sales for that city's national sales office.

He most recently served as director of group marketing for the corporation, a position he has held since 1991. Scypinski graduated from Penn State University in 1977, with a bachelor of science degree in hotel management.

Scypinski's office will continue to be based in Washington, D.C., where he will be Hilton's primary contact for all meeting industry organizations in the United States.

His responsibilities will also include interfacing, managing and overseeing Hilton's meetings and conventions departments and special events, new customer service initiatives in the group marketplace as well as continued involvement with group marketing efforts, advertising, contract issues and enforcement and trade show marketing for the company.
 

###
 
Contact:
Hilton Communications 
Jeanne Datz, [email protected] 
Iga Gaj, [email protected] 
310/205-4545 
http://www.hilton.com
 --
 
Also See:
Bethany Ellis Named Director -- Corporate Employee Relations and Recruitment for Hilton Hotels
Corporation / June 1998 
Hilton Introduces New Global Corporate Identity / June 1998 

To search Hotel Online data base of News and Trends Go to Hotel.Online Search
Back to Hotel.Online Press Releases
Home | Welcome! | Hospitality News | Classifieds | Catalogs & Pricing | Viewpoint Forum | Ideas/Trends
Please contact Hotel.Online with your comments and suggestions.